Oscar Hammerstein II News

Sutton Foster's debut CD 'Wish' has been confirmed for February 17th release on Ghostlight Records. The album features 15 songs culled from the worlds of jazz, pop, Broadway and cabaret, and highlights Foster's eclectic choices, ranging from Patty Griffin's 'Nobody's Cryin' to Duke Ellington's 'I Like the Sunrise'...from Frank Loesser's 'Warm All Over' to John Denver's 'Sunshine on My Shoulders

Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program and Columbia Stages Present MASTERPIECES: Part Two of SPRING, a Series of Three Springtime Events Celebrating Columbia's M.F.A. Playwriting Class of 2009 Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program and Columbia Stages present MASTERPIECES, the second event in SPRING, a celebration in three parts of Columbia's M.F.A. Playwriting Class of 2009. In MASTERPIECES, each playwright presents a staged reading of a full-length play in various locations around New York City.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director and Bernard Gersten, Executive Director) has announced that Laura Osnes will assume the role of Ensign Nellie Forbush in its Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC, directed by Bartlett Sher, beginning Tuesday, March 10 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Pittsburgh CLO, with the families of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, will proudly present the 12th Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater to award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The ceremony will be held at the 2009 CLO Guild's Pink Frolic Ball on May 9, 2009, at the Omni William Penn Hotel.

Pittsburgh CLO, with the families of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, will proudly present the 12th Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater to award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The ceremony will be held at the 2009 CLO Guild's Pink Frolic Ball on May 9, 2009, at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Established in 1988, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater recognizes the lifetime contributions of outstanding talents in musical theater. Pittsburgh CLO has presented the Richard Rodgers Award 11 times in recent years to such luminaries as Mary Martin (1988), Dame Julie Andrews (1989), Harold Prince (1991), Sir Cameron Mackintosh (1992), Stephen Sondheim (1993), Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (1996), Gwen Verdon (2000), Bernadette Peters (2002), Shirley Jones (2007), Kathleen Marshall (2008) and Rob Marshall (2008).

Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season, concluded its limited run yesterday, Sunday, February 8th. Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, was directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The production ran for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). BroadwayWorld's camera caught the final curtain call of the Encores! treat. The cast includes Kristin Chenoweth, Douglas Sills, Dick Latessa, Marni Nixon, Tom Alan Robbins, Sierra Boggess, Walter Charles, Anne L. Nathan, David Schramm, Ryan Silverman and Robert Sella. Music in the Air, with music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, has been restored by the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and has not been seen in New York in its original form since its premiere Broadway engagement at the Alvin Theatre in 1932. Opening on November 8th of that year, it played for 342 performances in a production directed by the authors. A revised version had a brief revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1951. Music in the Air is a musical romance, with the wit and elegance of an Ernst Lubitsch film. It's the story of a Bavarian music teacher (Robbins), his beautiful young daughter (Boggess), and the daughter's suitor (Silverman), who travel to the big, bad city of Munich where they encounter a cast of self-involved, egotistical theater folk who promise them fame, fortune and romance. Kristin Chenoweth and Douglas Sills play a Diva (Chenoweth) and an egotistical operetta librettist (Sills) who take the young couple under their wings (and claws). Songs include 'I've Told Ev'ry Little Star' and 'The Song Is You.' Photos by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season, concluded its limited run yesterday, Sunday, February 8th. Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, was directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The production ran for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). BroadwayWorld's cameras caught the final curtain call of the Encores! treat.

The list of nominations has been announced for the 51st annual Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards will be presented on February 8, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, February 6, 2009.

Although operetta wasn't completely on its way out when Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II brought Music In The Air to Broadway in 1932, the popularity of the genre was indeed waning a bit as jazzy and witty scores by the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart and Cole Porter dominated the decade's theatre music. But the creators of Show Boat, just five years earlier, weren't done quite yet.

Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season runs February 5-8. Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, is directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The production runs for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues).

After a lengthy hiatus, Douglas Sills is jumping back into New York's theatre scene in perhaps the most challenging way imaginable: appearing in a leading role in an Encores production.

Danny Burstein who received a Tony nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance as Luther Billis in the current Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC was honored with a Sardi's caricature on Tuesday, Feb. 3. BWW joined the fun as the Broadway favorite viewed his portrait at Sardi's, Sardi's Restaurant is located at 234 West 44th Street.

THE SWEETEST SOUNDS -- ALLEGRO Written in 1947, ALLEGRO was preceded in the R&H canon by OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL, and followed directly by SOUTH PACIFIC and THE KING AND I. In this podcast, hosted by Jeff Lunden, the bold innovations and experimental aspects of ALLEGRO are explored in the context of the first complete recording of its score, released by Sony Masterworks Broadway today, February 3, 2009. The CD is produced by David Lai, Bruce Pomahac and Ted Chapin.

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is thrilled to announce that the first complete recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO will be released by Sony Masterworks Broadway on February 3, 2009. The CD is produced by David Lai, Bruce Pomahac and Ted Chapin.

Danny Burstein who received a Tony nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance as Luther Billis in the current Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC will be honored with a Sardi's caricature on Tuesday, Feb. 3

Kelli O'Hara, the Tony nominated star of South Pacific is has a new 'production' in the works that will demand she take leave from the Lincoln Center hit starting in March, she is expecting her first child with husband Greg Naughton. The star's web site now lists March 1, 2009 as her final performance.

Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season,will run February 5-8. The production runs for five performances at City Center.

Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season,will run February 5-8. Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, will be directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The production runs for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues).

Award-winning singer KEVIN DOZIER, who was named ?Male Performer of the Year' at the 2003 San Francisco Cabaret Competition, will debut his new CD 'LOVE-WISE' at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street, on Wednesday, February 18th at 6 PM as part of the ?Any Wednesday' Series of free concerts. Kevin made his highly anticipated NYC cabaret debut last June with Musical director/arranger CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE at the piano and played an equally successful return engagement in October. During his 10 years in San Francisco, he headlined at San Francisco's Plush Room, performed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, Lush Lounge, and in various benefit concerts including 2 editions of Steve Murray's Viva Variety. He has appeared with such entertainers as Bobby McFerrin, Carmen McRae and Barry Manilow.